Ramen is not really my thing. It's not that I don't find them tasty, it surely is, but I do not like the-too-much-I-just-could-not-have-any-other-dessert after having them. I prefer udon, while they are lighter in broth and give me healthier feeling.
But when Ippudo Indonesia opened their first branch in Pacific Place Mal, I just could not resist it. Some fellow foodies uploaded their scrumptious-looking-thick-broth in instagram and all of sudden it went viral. Some loved it, some said no, but I have to try it with my own taste buds, right? ;)
Brief explanation about it, Ippudo is one of the well-known ramen chain in the world. From New York to Singapore and Sydney, they have it all. Their speciality? Hakata tonkotsu broth soup. Hakata broth soup originates from Fukuoka City, offering a rich, milky, with pork bone tonkotsu and thin non curly noodle. Having those stores worldwide are surely a proof that they serve great ramen.
Located in the 5th floor of Pacific Place Mal, next to Kanpai, the queue is patiently waiting during the lunch/ dinner time. Location wise, it was great to have their first store in the middle of business district in Jakarta. It was quite dark inside, with the Japanese touch of wooden seats and open kitchen, which remind me of their store in Singapore. Noisy ambiance is gonna welcome you, like any other ramen house in Jakarta.
Start with this famous Ippudo pork bun (28k), came with 3 options of filling (pork, shrimp, chicken) . It was really plain on the presentation, to be honest. Pork bun with a slice with pork belly, cabbage, and special sauce, cut into two. It was good, soft bun with tasty pork belly (pork belly save the meal!) and sauce to bring up the taste. But for a pork bun with 30k, it have to be crazily good, right?
Seared salmon roll with mentaiko and cod roe (89k)
Champion of the day. Beautifully presented fresh salmon, great taste of burnt mayonnaise, great Japanese rice, it was a perfect match. I loved the way all of the components melted in my mouth, rousing all my taste buds to be happy!
Shiromaru Motoaji (90k) : Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth with thin noodles, pork belly, spring onions, cabbage, and black fungus. It was good, with lighter-than-usual ramen broth, but I felt like it was not kicking my taste buds. Runny boiled egg was awesome, thick pork belly was great.
Karaka-Men (90k) : Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth with spicy miso (most favorite in Indonesia, they said), pork, cabbage, garlic oil, cashew nuts and spring onions. This one was thicker and the broth was tastier. Everything on the bowl was really rich, and I found the portion was big, which could gave us a-way-too-much-ramen after taste.
Overall it was a pleasant meal to try. It was not my favorite ramen store though, since I found their sushi pleased me more than their ramen. Well, it's all about preference, right? How about you?
Ippudo
Pacific Place Mal, Lt 5
Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, SCBD, Jakarta
021 57973339
